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Today, Vizio announced that owners of select TV models can now control displays with their voices, thanks to a new Amazon Alexa skill. All 2016 and 2017 SmartCast P-, M- and E-Series 4K models are compatible with this new feature. The 2018 Full HD and HD models will also be able to take advantage of the Alexa skill in coming weeks.

Just in time for the new season of Black Mirror, another report of a company using smartphones to listen in on users has surfaced. The New York Times reported this week that a number of apps are using software produced by a startup called Alphonso and it uses a smartphone's microphone to listen for particular audio signals in TV shows, advertisements and movies. In many cases, Alphonso then has Shazam identify what those audio snippets are and all of the collected data can then be sold to advertisers who can use it to better target their ads.

Unless the person on your list already owns a smart TV, media streamers are almost fool-proof as far as gift ideas go, and they're reasonably affordable too. We put several in our holiday gift guide, including the Apple TV 4K at the high end and the Roku Ultra, which is nearly half the price. Rounding out the list, we recommend this universal remote from Logitech (though the company's cheaper models are solid, too). And, if you have the means to gift a TV (whether to yourself or someone else), we included twomodels in different price ranges.

Maybe there's an audiophile on your list, or maybe you're shopping for someone who recently acquired a new phone and could use something better than the pack-in headphones. Either way, we have a slew of recommendations in the audio gear section of our holiday gift guide. On our list you'll find smart speakers from Google and Amazonalike, along with Sonos, whose new "One" speaker includes Alexa built in, with Google Assistant support coming soon. When it comes to headphones, our selections run the gamut from the affordable (Jabra's Move headset) to the high end (Bragi's Dash Pro wireless earbuds and these noise cancelling headphones from Sony), with a couple mid-rangeoptions in between.

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read the full article here.

After spending 80 hours testing new models for 2017, we found that the 55-inch TCL 55P607 is the best 4K TV if you're on a budget. Not only that, but it's also our pick for the best TV, period. Even when viewed side by side with TVs that cost two and a half times as much, the TCL won over our viewing panel. It's simply the greatest value we have ever seen in a TV.

Hot on the heels of updating our buyer's guide, we have three more additions, and they're all TVs. Of all the models out there, we've edited our selection to just three: two reasonably priced ones, and another for the "money is no object" crowd. So which nabbed the crown? You might want to revisit our Best of CES Award winners for a hint.

Vizio has been adding streaming apps to its smart TVs these past few weeks, including Netflix and Amazon Video. The latest addition to its streaming apps collection? Google Play Movies & TV. The company is making the app available on its high-end VIA+ and D-series Smart TVs, giving you a way to buy or rent titles from the app without having to use a phone or tablet and a Chromecast or Roku.

To the extent that your shoebox of a dorm will be your home for the next nine months, you should do whatever you can to make it feel cozy and inviting. To that end, we've included some home-theater items in our back-to-school guide, and we've ensured everything is reasonably compact (you can hold off on your first 65-inch set until you have your very own pad). From media streamers to speakers to a handful of small- to medium-sized TVs, you have options if you want to upgrade from watching Netflix off your 13-inch laptop.

One of the more unique features of Vizio's smart TV lineup is that some models use an Android tablet to cast streaming services to the displays. That's rather than having apps baked directly into the TVs themselves. The TV manufacturer is rolling out an update for its 2017 models that adds apps directly to the displays themselves -- no casting necessary.

There's a strong case to be made for investing in quality audio gear at any period in your adult life. For college students in particular, though, a good set of speakers can be icebreakers as much as gateways into audiophilia. As such, we've included three options in our back-to-school buyer's guide, along with a turntable and amplifier, should you be more creatively inclined. Content to just listen to music and podcasts on the way to class? We have a few headphones you should check out, too.

Behind the doors of the five-star Bohao Radegast Hotel in Beijing's central business district on Monday, troubled Chinese tech conglomerate LeEco held an extraordinary shareholder's meeting to elect new directors. Outside, some two dozen protesters set up tables and held up signs asking to be paid what they were owed for services rendered. According to multiple reports, they had come from 20 cities all over China and were reportedly due about 33 million yuan (around $5 million) in all. Many of them demanded to see Jia Yueting, but the company's billionaire founder and public face was nowhere to be seen.

LeEco's fall from grace has been spectacular. Once hailed as the "Netflix of China," the daring startup and its then-outspoken founder were bold enough to challenge Tesla and criticize Apple as "outdated." But in recent months, the company has faced a series of setbacks, and may be reaching its breaking point. Jia stepped down as chairman and CEO in May, while the company continues to fend off unhappy vendors who are protesting outside its Beijing headquarters. On the other side of the Pacific, LeEco has also massively scaled back its American operations, laying off hundreds of workers in the process, while facing two lawsuits from US TV maker Vizio. Faraday Future, a futuristic car company with close ties to LeEco, recently canceled its plans to build a $1 billion plant in Nevada as well.

This is the tale of a company that grew too quickly. It shows how a ravenous appetite for growth without a solid financial foundation can cause a business to topple. Simply tracing LeEco's cash flow is a Herculean task, since its financial activity is obscured by a dizzying organizational structure comprising a publicly listed holdings company, privately owned organization and dozens of subsidiaries.

It's incredible that LeEco was able to continue operations for as long as it did without getting into any real legal trouble. But since 2016, it has been slammed with several lawsuits. Manufacturing partners in Asia, including Zhejiang Haosheng Electronic Technology, Compal Electronics and Truly International Holdings have sued for outstanding debt. The most recent significant case was Vizio's $100 million claim for a failed $2 billion acquisition.

From interviews Engadget conducted with unpaid vendors, former employees and investors, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern for their careers, it became apparent that LeEco's future may be in serious trouble.

This time last year we heard the surprising Hollywood announcement that Chinese company LeEco would acquire Vizio in a deal worth $2 billion. Unfortunately, like so many of LeEco's recent plans, that arrangement never went through, with the two companies formally calling things off in April. Now, the Orange County Business Journal reports that Vizio has filed two separate lawsuits against LeEco, accusing the company of making false claims while arranging the acquisition. One lawsuit, filed in US District Court in LA seeks $60 million in damages, while another filed with the Superior Court of the State of California-County of Orange in Santa Ana seeks $50 million, plus other relief.

Vizio's 2017 M-series TVs were intriguing when we saw them in April. In some ways, you're getting better image quality than far more expensive sets. And now, you can give them a try -- the company has started shipping its latest M- and P-series TVs in the US. The mid-range M line is actually more affordable than we first heard: it starts at $700 for a 55-inch model and tops out at a still reasonable $2,500 for a 75-inch variant. The higher-end P-series ranges from $1,000 at 55 inches to $3,500 for 75 inches. As we mentioned earlier in the year, there are some worthwhile upgrades (particularly in the M-series) -- at least, so long as you didn't want that included Android tablet from last year.

Of course, you'll still need to be a subscriber to some TV package in order to get full access, but the apps will stream immediately to let viewers get a taste before they log in. Once viewers are all set, they'll be able to easily pause and resume across different devices, and the networks say apps are on the way for game consoles and other connected TVs later this year. Finally, there's also integration for something called Vizbee that is said to allow casting from a mobile device to connected screens without a special app or plug-in, although it's not clear which platforms that will work on.

Last year, Vizio wowed us with its P-series 4K TVs, which delivered premium picture quality at a price much lower than other companies. But Vizio's mid-range M-series sets also gained a reputation for being more affordable while still looking pretty good. This year, things are a bit different. Surprisingly, the 2017 P-series TVs are exactly the same as last year's model. But the newer M-series "XLED" sets received some useful upgrades that will make them even more compelling to shoppers looking for a good deal.

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we'll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot -- some of these sales could expire mighty soon.

Vizio may have been knocked by LeEco after its $2 billion buyout deal was cancelled, but the company's not going to fall into a grief-stricken funk. The home theater business has announced a new raft of soundbars that work with Google Assistant and come with Chromecast built in. Leading the pack is the SmartCast 36", which packs 5.1 wireless sound, the promise of crystal-clear dialog and a wireless subwoofer. Vizio had trouble with its soundbars working with Spotify via Chromecast in the past, so hopefully its remedied that issue. This new model is on sale right now, setting you back $250, while smaller options in the same range will cost less, obviously.

Roku fans have another treat this week aside from getting Sling TV's Cloud DVR functionality. Assuming you opt in, the latest software version (7.6) will use Automatic Content Recognition to listen to what broadcast programming you're watching and suggest other stuff to watch based on that, as a way to "enhance" your couch potato session. "Additional viewing options may include the ability to watch from the beginning, watch more episodes of the same show and/or view suggestions for similar entertainment available to stream," the section about Roku TVs reads.

Troubled electronics and car maker LeEco made an ambitious promise to buy TV company Vizio for $2 billion last year, but as it turns out, that acquisition isn't happening after all. The company today confirmed that "the merger agreement will not proceed due to regulatory headwinds." This comes after persistent rumors of the deal falling through due to an inability to get Chinese government approval.

Vizio continues to push TV prices down to the point where it would be crazy not to go 4K on your next TV. With its latest D-Series, a 65-inch 4K (Ultra HD) model costs $900, while the 55-inch Ultra HD model is just $570. To be sure, these are not fancy HDR-equipped OLED or quantum dot models, but they do have full-array LED backlighting, built-in WiFi and Vizio's own smart TV system with built-in apps like Netflix.

AMD is one of the few remaining companies with a big stake in graphics hardware (it's powering the PS4 and Xbox One in addition to PCs), and it's determined to hold on to that stake however it can. In the wake of an earlier filing, the US International Trade Commission has agreed to investigate LG, MediaTek, Sigma Designs and Vizio for allegedly violating AMD's graphics patents. Allegedly, the visual processing in their devices (including phones, mobile CPUs and TVs) treads on AMD's concepts for unified graphics shaders and parallel graphics pipelines. AMD is hoping for a sales ban on any offending products.

Vizio's higher-priced HDR-capable TVs aren't exactly pricey, but you now have some truly low-cost options if you're just looking for the basics. The company has launched its 2017 E-Series line, and the emphasis this time is on making high dynamic range video accessible to many more people. As long as you buy a 55-inch set or larger, you're getting both 4K and HDR -- not bad when that means paying as little as $550. While you aren't going to get the best HDR compatibility or visual quality (no Dolby Vision HDR or quantum dots here), you at least won't have to pay a premium to see what the fuss is about.

A settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the New Jersey Attorney General will cost Vizio $2.2 million. That sum will settle the charges with both the state and federal agencies after a complaint that Vizio installed software on 11 million smart TVs to track viewing histories without consumers' knowledge. As part of the settlement, a federal court could order the company to disclose its data collection and sharing practices and get express consent from customers before doing so.